


Not So Unexpected

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comedy, Drama, Fluff, Hogwarts Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-31
Updated: 2007-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-27 13:32:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10810017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived atThe Quidditch Pitch, which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address onThe Quidditch Pitch collection profile.





	Not So Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

"Only an hour! How did it get so late? Why didn't anyone wake me?" Hermione looked around the dormitory and realized she was speaking to an empty room. She turned back to her bed where Crookshanks now occupied himself with a nap of his own. "You're no help," she yelled at the slumbering cat. She reached for her towel and made a beeline for the showers.

 

  
Hermione Granger had little experience in the area of dating. Her date with Viktor Krum could hardly be considered anything more than a simple escort to the Yule Ball, at least in her mind that's all he was. Her date with Cormac McLaggen was merely a ploy to make the boy she loves jealous. This date, Hermione justified, would be her first real date and would be the most important day so far in her life.

 

  
With her damp hair strewn across her neck and stuck to the sides of her face, Hermione rushed about the room in an attempt to get ready, yet she seemed to be running in circles. This was the moment Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil chose to walk in on typically organized, level-headed Hermione.

 

  
"Hermione?" Parvati called out to her entirely bewildered friend.

 

 

"Umm-hmm," Hermione answered back without looking up from the pile of clothes she had thrown on her bed.

 

  
"Are you nearly ready? We're leaving for Hogsmeade in thirty minutes."

 

  
"Yeah...huh...yeah. What do you think of this?" Hermione pointed to an item on her bed. From the look of disgust on Parvati's face, it was not the most appealing shirt and Hermione realized it was very un-Hermione like.

 

  
"Where did you get that thing?"

 

  
"Hmm, I dunno. I think my grams sent it a few Christmases ago." Then it hit her. "I can't do this," she cried as she swung around and fell into a heap on the floor. Parvati and Lavender looked petrified. True, some people had seen Hermione in a fit of anger, stress, depression, or defeat, but never had Parvati or Lavender seen Hermione give up on a task.

 

  
"I don't get it. What's wrong?" Parvati turned and asked Lavender who didn't respond, but just walked over to her own side table, picked up her wand and began changing the color on her nails, stopping to examine each shade of pink.

 

  
"She has a date," Lavender finally spoke up in a bland, emotionless tone as she settled on fuchsia.

 

  
"Oh! Who is it? Do we know him? I bet he's in Ravenclaw. Is it Anthony Goldstein? It's not Roger Davies...is it?" Parvati was practically in Hermione's lap from excitement.

 

  
"No, its..." Lavender began in a teasingly mean voice, when there was a sudden, soft, yet commanding knock at the door and Ginny Weasley entered. Her presence spurred Hermione to stand, wipe the tears from her eyes, and straighten her dressing gown.  
  
"Hermione, you're going to kill him if you don't hurry." Hermione knew who Ginny meant and this sly mention of the man waiting for her awoke a new desire in her. She turned to look at herself in the vanity mirror. Upon seeing her reflection she cringed and whipped back to face Ginny.

 

  
"Okay, I admit it...I need help."

 

 

"I'll say!"

 

 

"Ginny!"  
  
"Okay, okay. We need clothes to start."

 

  
"But what?" Hermione nearly yelled in exasperation.

 

  
"Just dress normal. It's not like he's never seen you before." Ginny's voice of reason nearly fell on deaf ears, but her humorous gaze ignited a fire of embarrassment in Hermione. Within four minutes, Hermione was fully dressed and pulling her damp curls into a loose bun.

 

  
"Good?" she asked in a sarcastic voice.

 

"Hah, almost. The clothes work, but let's actually DO something with your hair."

 

  
"Yeah, right. You do it, I gave up years ago."

 

  
Ginny approached Hermione's mane of curls with wand in hand. A quick drying spell left Hermione's hair a ball of frizz, but Ginny's understanding of beauty potions and styling charms left Hermione with flowing waves and soft ringlets.

 

 

"Done."

 

  
"No! Really? You're magic." The pair let out a quick chuckle and Hermione turned to Parvati and Lavender. "What do you think?" Parvati beamed but Lavender left the room in a great huff. Hermione grinned as Lavender slammed the door, knowing full well the reason for Lavender's outburst.

 

  
"Okay... ready to face the music?" Ginny asked.

 

  
"Who is it, Hermione?" Parvati questioned, oblivious to Lavender's recent non-verbal exit.

 

  
"You're going to have to face him," Ginny said, ignoring Parvati.

 

  
"Who is it?" Parvati asked again as Hermione silently stood and walked toward the door, Ginny on her heel.

 

  
"He's probably in the common room as we speak...waiting...for you." The image of her man waiting in want for her sped Hermione down the stairs to the common room.

 

  
"He's a Gryffindor? It must be Harry. I knew it would be you two; you always denied it. Honestly, who else could it be..." Parvati continued rambling until the three girls hit the last step and Hermione came to an abrupt stop.

 

  
The common room was filled with eager students who talked excitedly, but the talking ceased when Hermione's presence was introduced. The entire room turned to watch the revelation of Harry Potter's obvious romantic relationship with Hermione Granger. Of course, someone had spread around that Hermione had a date in Hogsmeade and the whole school automatically assumed Harry finally asked her out.

 

 

Hermione managed to squeak out an innocent "Hi" as she stared at the man she's loved for six years.

 

  
After receiving a swift nudge forward from his best mate, "Hi" was his only response. The room gasped and the first years stood on their toes to see the source of the voice.

 

  
"It isn't Harry?" Hermione heard Parvati squeal from behind her.

 

  
"No, not Harry," Lavender practically shouted as she stormed toward her best friend, "Ronald Weasley!"

 

  
"Don't you mean Won-Won?" Ginny gleefully teased and Lavender shoved her out of the way as she stomped back up to the girls' dormitory. Moments later there was a loud slam and Parvati turned tail and fled upstairs.

 

  
Ginny's comment had roused a few chuckles, but most the room continued to gaze intently at the two not-so-unlikely pair. Ron and Hermione never lost their eye contact, but both could feel the eyes of the entire room. As though being pulled by the impact of her presence, Ron moved hesitantly forward. Hermione clumsily shifted off the last step of the stairs and approached Ron until they were only a foot apart, staring directly into each others' souls and swallowing as much of each other as possible through simple eye contact. Ron swallowed the lump in his throat and threw a lopsided grin at Hermione. The act had the desired effect and Hermione instantly melted.

 

  
"Hi, Ron." Hermione let out the air she had been holding in for the past hour. Her confirmation of Ron's name cut the building tension in the room. A few students began to lose interest in the scene in front of them and went back to their excited conversations. Most students, however, opted to discuss the unfolding events and whispers of Harry, Hermione, and Ron's names shot back and forth across the room. Ron took the moment of lifted tension to finally speak.

 

  
"You look brilliant, Hermione." His eyes broke from Hermione's and were now scaling her body. When he brought his face back up to meet hers, he realized she was blushing at his comment, or was it at the ridiculous moment that they had just gone through. "That was bloody weird, that was," he decided to add mockingly, but in truth he was searching assurance that he didn't just experience the awkwardness alone.

 

  
Hermione smiled stupidly up at Ron, oblivious to the fact that he just swore. Realizing the stupid grin on her face, she called over Ron's shoulder, "All right there, Harry?"

 

 

"Just mulling over the moment of decreased fame, thanks!" Harry called back. Ron shot him a look, but quickly turned back to Hermione.

 

  
"Still just staring at each other?" Lavender returned to the common room looking a bit red and puffy, "I really don't need to see this." Parvati gave an apologetic look and Hermione, understanding the verbal beating Lavender most likely gave her upstairs, returned the look with a smile. Lavender mistook Hermione's grin and snapped, "Oh! Gloating already, Hermione. You're such a selfish little bitch; ripped Ron right out from underneath me. "

 

 

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. Ginny advanced on Lavender, but was restrained when Harry pulled her back by the elbow. Ginny would have been too late anyway; Ron placed himself in front of Hermione and proceeded to unload on Lavender.

 

  
"Good God, Lavender. I told you when we broke up that I'm in love with Hermione and have been for years. I never felt for you nearly as much as I have always, ALWAYS, felt for her. If anything, my being with you was only to make her jealous. I was the one who first declared my feelings, not her. So, lay off."

 

  
Hermione's realized her mouth had arranged itself into a rather toothy grin. As much as she tried to wipe it away, she only smiled bigger. Ron was a rather private person; it meant quite a great deal for him to declare his love for her in front of the entire Gryffindor house. She loved this man more than word could express, yet he did a fine job of expressing it himself.

 

  
"Ready, Hermione?" Ron asked as though they were simply leaving for lunch or class.  
  
"Yes!" Hermione felt something fall from her grasp and, realizing it had been Ron's protective hand, her heart sank unexpectedly. She was quickly revived as his hand moved to her lower back and he guided her out the door of Gryffindor tower. Ginny and Harry followed on foot, along with many students wanting to catch a glimpse of the not so unexpected couple.

 


End file.
